Mindset story: Would a gold egg each day make you happy?

There was once a small town where everyone knew each other and everyone who lived in the town was very happy, except for one couple. The couple was known to be lazy, very greedy, and never satisfied with anything. If it was sunny, they complained about the heat. If it was cold and it rained they would complain of living in a place where they could not even leave the house. The couple didn’t care about anything or anyone, except gold and what they had. People in the town always tried to help them, but nothing ever seemed good enough for the couple. People in the town were becoming frustrated with the couple, so finally one day one of the townsfolk asked the couple, “What would make you happy? What can we do to help you?” The couple smiled back and said, “Well we will be happy when we will be the richest people in the town.” After that, the townspeople decided to not bother with the couple anymore.

One day, a playful sprite was passing by this small town and heard about the couple. The sprite couldn’t believe what it had heard so it decided to find out for itself if everything that was said about them was true. So one afternoon when the husband was on his way home through the forest, the sprite appeared to him and said, “Hello. Are you well? You look tired and sad. Is there anything that I can do to make you happy? The man, somewhat frightened by the presence of the sprite, replied, “No, I’m not sick or tired, and I’m not hungry either. I’m just sad because my wife and I are poor and we can not have the things we want and need.”

Then the sprite replied, “I don’t understand. If you are not hungry or cold or ill, and you have a loved one by your side, then you are not poor!” But the man insisted, “Yes, I am. A man who has no gold is poor!” The sprite laughed, “You’re mistaken my friend. I have known many people who had so much gold that they couldn’t possibly spend it all. But they lacked time to do what would really make them happy. For example, they didn’t take the time to enjoy their favorite food and drink no matter how much they have paid for it. Or they didn’t take the time to be with their loved ones, and when they grew old they had no memories with them. They were not able to enjoy anything that was around them, because they always wanted more and never stopped to enjoy what they had.

“I don’t believe you!” Said the man, and insisted, “Being poor means that you do not have gold and not like you said time. I have time, but I don’t have gold. And since I do not have gold, I can not be happy.” The sprite felt sorry for the man, “I want to help you find happiness as you imagine it. I will give you a chicken that will lay a golden egg every day. You just have to wait until it lays one and then collect it. It will not take you long to have all the gold you have always wanted, and you and your wife will be happy. But remember, you only get one egg per day.” Suddenly a chicken came clucking happily from the bush where the sprite came before. The man, shocked by everything that had just happened, took the chicken and put it quickly under his arm and ran to his home. The sprite was happy as its test was finally underway.

As soon as the husband entered his home he showed the chicken to his wife and told her everything that had happened. The husband and wife stayed up all night waiting for the chicken to lay the golden egg. Early in the morning, the hen began to cluck, and shortly after, a huge, bright golden egg appeared beneath it! When they saw the egg, the couple became radiant, but a few minutes later the woman commented, “What a bummer we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to have another golden egg!” To which the husband replied, “It will take many weeks before we have enough eggs to be the richest in town. That must be why the sprite laughed when it gave me the chicken.”

After a week passed, and the couple gained one egg each day the woman remembered, “I once heard that chickens already have all the eggs they will lay inside them… If this is true, why don’t we just kill the chicken and take all the golden eggs at once? We are a lot smarter than the sprite thinks!” The man agreed, and without hesitation, they took the poor hen and opened it so they could take out all the eggs. But when they did so there were no eggs to be found. Suddenly the couple heard a knock on the door. The man opened the door and once again there was the sprite in front of him. “I gave you what you said would make you happy. But because of your greed look what you have done with it. Gold is not the thing that will make you happy my dear friend. Do not waste your time looking for gold as you will end up without both,, time and gold,” said the sprite, turned around, and left the town.